Dragon Warrior: Return of the Dragonlord
by Mynt Cailen
Summary: Set in the Dragon Warrior universe between the 3 NES games and anime; Can 5 travlers and warriors find the famed Erdricks Armour and stop the rising Dragonlord before the Darkness swallos the land? Please R&R! CHAPTER 1&2 ARE UP!!
1. Shadows on the Horizon

Peace once again reigned over the Earth. Like always, it doesn't last. With the rebirth of a new Dragonlord, the illness of a great king, and the struggle of ones destiny, can five brave journeymen manage to save all of humanity? So continues the legends of the Dragon Warrior... In no way shape or form do I own this fantastic universe, although I do claim to own some of the characters in my story, which I have made up. Based within the settings of Dragon Warrior 1-3 for NES, and loosely based on the anime, I hope you all enjoy this little piece of fiction....  
  
Dragon Warrior: Return of The Dragonlord  
  
Chapter 1: Shadows on the Horizon  
Shidar muttered silently to the dull flames, his milky-white eyes staring blindly into another place, far away from this one into another world. Ancient hands, wrinkled and weathered down to tough leather by the years moved in rhythm with the gently burning flames.  
The kings aide shifted uncomfortably from his position from acrossed the fire. He had here for hours like this, watching the holy prophet as he muttered and waved his hands at the flames. And although it wasn't that hot in the small, Spartan hut, be began to feel a bit stuffy. Claustrophobia had always been a problem for him.  
Slowly, Shidar lowered his hands and fell silent, his blind eyes closing for the first time in hours now that the aide had noticed.  
"Does not the fires speak?" The aide questioned, shifting his weight again, the rustle of layers of heavy fabric loud to both their ears.  
"The fire speaks." Shidar wheezed, raising a hand to slowly stroke his long, silver beard.  
There was a moment of silence before the aide dared to urge on the old man. "What does it sayeth?"  
  
"In ages of old,  
A great quest did unfold.  
A warrior of light  
Against a Dragonlord of might.  
Year upon years hath since passed,  
And the light over darkness shall not last.  
His dungeon of time has come to an end,  
And lines of destiny will once again bend."  
  
Confused, the aide stiffened at the solemn words. "Surely, you don't mean the Dragonlord of the legends of Erdick? That is nothing more that a mere story to frighten the child by his mother!"  
Shidar's eyes suddenly snapped open as he sighed heavily. "From a fact, all legends are born, young one," he nearly spat out the last. "The words are not mine, but the voices of the Ancients who speak to my by the flames. Dost thou deny the truth of the Ancient Ones?"  
"No, Great Prophet, I do not deny their words," the aide shook his head. "It is just, do the Ancients speak to thee of a way to halt the approaching darkness?"  
  
"The legend of Erdrick is alive,  
The armour the key to survive.  
A Dragon Warrior, there is but one,  
Erdrick's son of son's."  
  
The aide waited for another moment in silence, waiting for the old man to continue. When he didn't, he spoke, "do they leave to thee a name?"  
Shidar slowly closed his eyes, some invisible force killing the flames to a silent, dark halt. Only thin, wispy trails of what once was the Ancients fire now rose from the quiet ashes. "The Ancients fall silent. I bid thee farewell."  
Knowing there was nothing else he could draw from the Prophet, the aide sighed. A cold wave of despair and impending doom washed over him as he left the tiny hut. It was not the news he was wanting to be bringing to the terminally ill King Linoln of Holarr.  
  
The once majestic, now turned frail and old King Linoln gasped for air as the coughing that had suddenly racked his sick body seized. "The Prophet Shidar spoke of no name, no location?" He finally managed to say.   
The lowered his head, disgraced by his failure. " 'Dragon Warrior there is but one, Erdrick's son of son's', that is all he spoke of, Sire."  
"The bloodline of Erdrick the Warrior is all but unknown, not even hinted at in the legends. And 'twould be impossible to track the lineage of every citizen of Holarr. They themselves might not even know beyond their grandparents."  
"If his descendent even lives in Holarr, sire," the aide pointed out, hopelessness settling on his narrow features. "For all that we may know, he could hail from any of the five known kingdoms."  
Falling into another body-wracking coughing fit, King Linoln's face went red with strain, his already pale, hollow face reflecting pain with the efforts. "I swear by the Light, if I could...," he managed to choke out, struggling to rise from the nest of pillows.  
"Sire! Do not exert thyself!" The aide grabbed the king's shoulders, trying to get him to lay back down.  
" 'Tis a curse of God that I should lie here in my death bed, unable to do anything but watch as this approaching darkness swallows my kingdom." A tear slid down his hollowed features as he fell into a silent depression. "Why such a horrible fate on my beloved Holarr?" He muttered to no one.  
Both men fell into silent prayer.  
Neither noticed as the young woman hastily slipped from the shadows of the room and out the door. 


	2. Goof-off's and Tip-off's

Chapter 2: Goof-off's and Tip-off's  
"Man or woman, what are thee? Or could it be you're a he/she?"  
"Away, fool," she muttered, taking a step around him and towards the Armourer. Were all of Holarr's citizens this annoying, she silently asked herself.  
The man quickly countered her move, blocking her path once again. "A woman in soldiers dress, how interesting, yes! Please tell me, are you a bird or a bee?"  
"Out of my way, knave!" The woman cried out, clumsily drawing a copper sword from a leather-worked sheath strapped to her side.  
"Excuse me," a voice spoke behind her, a strong yet gentle grip taking hold of her arm. "Is my friend bothering you?"  
The woman turned around and looked up at the stranger, anger lacing her eyes. "Yes, actually, and I'm in a hurry, so if you would please," she replied, pulling her arm free of the grasp and resheathing her sword.   
"I was just asking a question, now that you mention," the first guy commented, a mischievous grin on his face.  
"Shut up!" Both the woman and the second stranger said at the same time.  
"Excuse my friend, ma'm. All he's ever done is clown around and annoy people since he was born."  
"Gavin's the name, goofing off's my game. I'm at your service day or night. Especially night! Oww!" Gavin suddenly cried the last part, holding a hand to the back of his head where his taller friend had smacked him.  
"Look, I am in a hurry," the woman grumbles again, trying to step around Gavin.  
"By all means." Gavin's friend gestured, stepping out of her way.  
Sighing, she quickly walked past them. Yes, they all were this annoying.  
  
  
Abrren stared at the female soldier as she melted into the rest of the crowd that filled up the gigantic marketplace. There had been something very strange about her, something that bothered him about her. Other than the uniform she wore, there was no way to tell she was a soldier.  
"Abrren smacks me to claim for himself the beauty of the sea," Gavin snickered, reaching up to pat Abrren on the back..  
"Uhg, cut it out." Abrren mumbled, knocking Gavin's hand away. "I'm not interested in her. Besides, we have more important things to take care of. Did you get the supplies? I want to be out of Holarr by the mid sun."  
Gavin was silent for a moment as he began to dig through a large, hide pouch tied to his side. "Well, um, no, not really. But I did get something even better?"  
Raising an eyebrow, Abrren tried not to get mad. "Oh, and what could be better than a weeks worth of supplies?"  
"Ah, here it is!" Proclaimed Gavin as he pulled free a piece of yellowed parchment from his pouch and began to unroll it. "Ta da!" He held it up to Abrren to see, excited as a child at festival.  
"What is... Oh by god, you didn't" Tell me you didn't waste all of our gold on this, Gavin. Please!"   
" 'Tis a sure thing, my friend, the treasures we'll find at the end!" Grinning, Gavin looked at it himself as if it were some masterpiece painting.  
Abrren grabbed Gavin by the front of his tannish tunic with two hands, the knuckles nearly turning white. Drawing him close, he growled, slowly, "tell me you didn't spend all of that gold on this, now!"  
"Well, I would like to appease you by saying no, but I did."  
"All five hundred pieces?!" Abrren nearly choked, reddish heat of anger crawling into his cheeks.  
"Unless you're holding back on our savings then yes, all ten thousand of it. Great, huh?"  
Abrren was so speechless, all he could do was shake Gavin.  
"Ack, oww! Cut it out! Why are you so upset?"  
"Upset? Upset?! You spent all of our gold on an old piece of parchment with some stupid map drawn onto it. All five hundred, on a map! A stupid piece of paper!"  
"Ah, but a priceless piece of paper!" Gavin struggled to say, pointing at a particular point on the map. "See here now, this map was sold to me with the promise of a priceless treasure at the end. Priceless, Abrren!"  
"Probably because no one would bother looking for it, it's so priceless." Abrren sighed, letting go of Gain to massage his temples. "I can't believe you did that, Gain. I really can't. What about the job we were hired for? How are we supposed to do that now?"  
Gavin groaned. "Five hundred pieces of gold isn't anything, Abrren. After we gather supplies, pay for board, after a few tankards of ale, we'd just be back at zero, right where we always start. Think about it, if we do find this treasure, we may never have to take on another job, ever again!"  
"If it even exists." Abrren pointed out, watching as the vendors and buyers passed them by, going about their everyday businesses in the marketplace. By accident, his eyes happened to fall onto the so-called soldier woman. No, he thought again, she didn't seem to be the soldier type at all.  
Although she wore the half-plated armour of any self respecting soldier, her petite figure was painfully obvious. It was unheard of, and just simply impossible for a woman her size to be of any use in a real fight. Long, raven black hair hung loose down the back of the armour, straight and shiny, the kind of hair that had been brushed no less then a million strokes a day. Definitely not the hair of a soldier, regardless of sex. So who exactly was this woman trying to fool?  
"Abrren? Hello, Abrren? So, you're not that mad at me, are you?"  
Who are you, Abrren wondered as he watched her pull out a large, ornate pouch from inside of the armour filled to bulging with gold pieces. Lots of gold, which suddenly gave him an idea...  
"Hey Gavin, you know, that treasure hunting idea may not be so bad. But I think we'll need a bit of help first, a sponsor, if you will."  
Quickly shoving the map back into his pouch, Gavin hooted with excitement, beginning to dance a jig in the middle of the street. "We're going treasure huuunting! We're going treasure huuunting!"   
Chuckling, Abrren shook his head at his friend as he began to make his way towards the solider wannabe with her great amount of gold. 


End file.
